(Almost) 2 year old cuteness

I can never resist taking pictures of this little cutie (even if he's just playing in the living room in an almost too little outfit...whatever the circumstance he is still the cutest thing to his Mama!) He is changing so fast and looking different with each day that passes. I thought I'd share some pictures of my almost 2 year old little man and some cute expressions that he's been saying lately (got this idea from a friend's blog that shared some cute expressions from her 2 year old):

- I wuv (love) you, Mama. I wuv you, Daddy. (I can never hear that one enough!)
- "I bless you, ______." (when someone sneezes)
- "Push" (and then he pulls you wherever he wants you to go with him.)
- "The train room" (the room where he plays with his trains)
- "The blanket room" (our bedroom - he loves to sit on the bed with me and play with cars while we are covered up with blankets)
- "James do it." and now sometimes "I do it." (He uses this one often.)
- "I touch a ______." or "I catch a ________" (shark, fish, bird, airplane, truck, ladybug, snake, etc. - sometimes he really did touch or catch whatever it is but most of the time he didn't and thank goodness he didn't, i.e. shark, snake, etc. ha! :)
- "eat in mouth" (Only when he really wants something to eat does he say this one, like for m&m's or icecream. He doesn't say "eat in mouth" so much for green vegetables or meat, of course. :) )
- "Mama does it" or "Daddy does it" (he has preferences about who does what at different times...)
- "I wuv you, library." (when he wants to go to the library)
- "go in car, bookstore" (when he wants to go to the bookstore - they have a train table there too!)
- When I ask where Daddy is he often says "higing" (hiding) or "higing in car" but sometimes will say "worch" (work) now.
- When you ask whose boy he is he usually says now, "Mama's boy AND Daddy's boy." A few times recently he has been saying, "Mama's boy and Daddy's boy AND James' boy!" cute! :)
- When I ask how old he's going to be he sometimes says "2" and sometimes shouts "3!" A lot of times when we are counting he will count one more number than there is and shout that last number.
- "watch show, TV?" (when he wants to watch one of his favorite shows)
- We are working on being polite and he will sometimes say "please" on his own after asking for something but will always say it if I remind him, i.e. "milk, please." and other cute ones: "Thank you, Mama" or "Yes, Mama."
- He repeats a lot of things that we say to him. Sometimes when we hand him something he will say "here, baby" or if he does something good he will say "thank you, baby"before we say it because he's so used to hearing us say it to him.
- He knows mine and Stephen's names. He will occasionally say "Kassi" when we ask what my name is and sometimes he will call for Stephen by saying "Steben? Steben? Daddy, Steben?"... (I guess he's heard me call for him a few times before! ha!)
- He usually pronounces words that end in a "n" or sometimes an "m" with a "t." or say an "n" and "t" sound together. I think it's really cute... a few that come to mind are "Aunt Megant," "ice creat," (ice cream)  "all donet" (all done), "againt" (again), "cornt" (corn), "downt" (down), "octagot" (octagon) and many more I'm sure...
- "Lightney" (Lightning Mcqueen)
- "mail man mat" (mailman), "snow man mat" (snowman)
- "Trains now" (he just uses the word now often and after something that he really wants to do.) Sometimes he will remember "please" and say "trains now please" (I guess that makes it seem a little less bossy! :) )
- "mamamother" (his great grandmother vail)
- "mamamonster" (cookie monster)
- "night night too" (after reading Goodnight Little Engines and he wants to go to sleep too.)
- "a hug and a kiss" (when he wants a hug and kiss from us)
- "turtle with pretty stars" (his nightlight turtle)
- "fishy kiss", "frog kiss" and now "fly kiss" (I am having to get creative with my kisses!)

I know there are so many more cute things that he is saying, but those are just some that come to mind. It's hard to believe that in just a few short days my "baby" will be 2 years old. I wish that I could stop time and savor these moments for a while longer, but since I can't I'm glad that I can at least write them down so that I can always remember these sweet days with him. This is an excerpt from a blog that I read the other day and I loved what it said about writing things down: "Help him [your son] understand that writing words down is a way to be present forever. Writers are the transcribers of history and memories. They keep a record of how we lived at that time; what we thought was interesting; how we spoke to each other; what was important. And Readers help preserve and pass along those memories." Thanks for letting me delight (once again) on the blog in the joy of being this sweet boy's Mama. And now, off to go soak up a little more (almost) 2 year old sweet time with him... :)

Big Fish

James loves fish. Just about every other day he tells me "I catch a fish!" even though he hasn't. But I love his little boy imagination and his desire to conquer (and impress his Mama) and catch fish, and birds, and sharks (and other creatures that I pretend that I'm not scared of...) So, the other day when we read the story of Jonah in his Storybook Bible he listened intently and it was so sweet to hear him recall details back to us of the "big fish" that swallowed Jonah.

Right now I am reading What Women Fear by Angie Smith. I am currently reading a chapter that addresses our desire to control circumstances out of fear. This really hits home for me as I struggle with wanting to be in control, and it has never been more apparent than now as I am right in the middle of a season of life that it is so very evident just how little control that I actually have. Oh, I might have thought I was in control at times in my life or tried to control, but if I ever was unsure of who was actually in control of the circumstances of my life I know with certainty now that I never really was.

I love Angie Smith's perspective on Jonah and wanted to share an excerpt here in hopes it encourages you like it did me:

I never had a flannel board as a child, but if I had, I imagine the fish would have been seen as the antagonist in the story. I picture him angry and out for blood as he gobbles up poor Jonah. It took me many years (and still no flannel board) to see what God was really saying in this story.

He provided the fish.

Not to harm Jonah, but to rescue him. 

He knew Jonah's heart, so He did something drastic, something epic, something that to the naked eye looks like a tragedy, and He used it for His glory. The words of Jonah are profound in their earnest simplicity: So I said, 'I have been expelled from Your sight. Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.' ... I want the story to be different, and lest I am tempted to believe I deserve an explanation, I remind myself that He who allowed the vine to wither was the same One Who grew it into being and brought it to life in the first place. And when the sun burns my eyes and the wind whips me into a place of doubt, I have committed to return to a place of worship. A place where it is too dark to see anything but Him...'Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple Lord...' ... I will believe in spite of the vine that I cannot control.

Triangles, Rectangles, and Squares...Oh My!

James loves everything about shapes right now. He loves to identify them, and count them, and sort them, and we have definitely checked out Elmo's Shapes one too many times from the library recently. So, last night I threw together a very impromptu little shape activity and he had a blast. I am so enjoying watching him learn and soak up information like a little sponge these days. And who doesn't love hearing an almost 2 year old say the word "rhombus" or "octagot" (octagon)? 

I cut out some shapes from colored paper and James and I glued them down to make some of his favorite things!

Then I scattered the leftover shapes throughout the room, drew each shape on paper (on the scraps I already cut from - see, I told you very impromptu), and we raced around the room to get shapes and sort them correctly. He just laughed and laughed! 

 

Before throwing away the leftover shapes we counted them and identified colors (something he also really enjoys doing these days. He is pretty accurate with colors now except when I asked him what color my hair was and he said "green"...I have no idea what that's about! ha!) 

This is James reaching up for the camera and telling me he wants "a hug and a kiss?" so that I'll squat down and the camera will be within his reach. Does he know how to work me or what? (But look at that face! ha!) And just for the record, when I squatted down, I did not get a hug or a kiss! :)

He is entering into the phase of saying "cheese" when you ask to take his picture. :) And he will occasionally stop moving to take pictures now!

"James do it." He loves taking pictures all.by.himself. (you know, except for that one little hand helping push down the shutter button and making sure that doesn't accidentally zoom in on his subject. ha!)

And one with my sweet boy to remember our fun with shapes!

What are some of your ideas for inexpensive, fun activities with toddlers?

Thoughts from Elisabeth Elliot

Today I am rereading some thoughts from Elisabeth Elliot, one of my Christian heros:

“I do know that waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one’s thoughts. Its easy to talk oneself into a decision that has no permanence – easier sometimes than to wait patiently.” 
― Elisabeth Elliot, Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christ's Control


“Where does your security lie? Is God your refuge, your hiding place, your stronghold, your shepherd, your counselor, your friend, your redeemer, your saviour, your guide? If He is, you don't need to search any further for security.”
― Elisabeth Elliot

“I realized that the deepest spiritual lessons are not learned by His letting us have our way in the end, but by His making us wait, bearing with us in love and patience until we are able to honestly to pray what He taught His disciples to pray: Thy will be done.” 
― Elisabeth Elliot, Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christ's Control


“To love God is to love His will. It is to wait quietly for life to be measured by One who knows us through and through. It is to be content with His timing and His wise appointment.”
― Elisabeth Elliot

“Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering. The love of God is of a different nature altogether. It does not hate tragedy. It never denies reality. It stands in the very teeth of suffering. The love of God did not protect His own Son. The was the proof of His love – that He gave that Son, that He let Him fo to Calvary’s cross, though “legions of angels” might have rescued Him. He will not necessarily protect us- not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process.” 
― Elisabeth Elliot

“The principles of gain through loss, of joy through sorrow, of getting by giving, of fulfillment by laying down, of life out of death is what the Bible teaches, and the people who have believed it enough to live it out in simple, humble, day-by-day practice are people who have found the gain, the joy, the getting, the fulfillment, the life.” 
― Elisabeth Elliot

“He is always doing something--the very best thing, the thing we ourselves would certainly choose if we knew the end from the beginning. He is at work to bring us to our full glory.” 
― Elisabeth Elliot

Boots!

I can hardly believe that this little cutie in his Mama's boots (who loves all boots these days!) will be 2 years old in just a few short weeks. How the days (and years!) have flown and how my love for him has just grown and grown day by day. I love him so much that it seems like my heart could just explode sometimes - there is just nothing like having a little boy to love! Thank you God for this sweetest gift of life. I love you, my sweet James.

Encouragement For Today

I found this commentary on Romans 8:28 while doing some blog hopping today. Romans 8:28 has always been one of my favorite verses, and I especially loved this particular commentary and was incredibly encouraged. I wanted to share!

On a kind of separate note, Stephen and I have been discussing "the sacrifice of praise" the last few days. And remembering and singing a song (James LOVES when we sing!) that we both used to sing in church as children - Stephen in his home church and me at the church that I attended with my Dad and Step-Mom. "We bring the Sacrifice of Praise into the house of the Lord, We bring the Sacrifice of Praise into the house of the Lord. And we offer up to you the sacrifices of Thanksgiving and we offer up to you the sacrifices of Joy." Does anyone else remember singing that song?

So regardless of how we feel at the moment or despite when/if things that don't go as planned in our lives, we recognize the importance of giving thanks to His name. I read this at justworship.com about sacrificial praise:

 "Giving thanks to his name is simply the making of a confession. It is agreeing with God about who he is and acknowledging his authority and character. Giving thanks is the expression of a heart that is spilling over with gratitude...The Father's requirement is that we offer the best we have. What God demands, he supplies. Just as he supplied the Old Testament sacrifices, he creates the fruit of our lips enabling us to give thanks to his name. Only then can we offer an acceptable sacrifice of praise.

¹⁵ Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Hebrews 13:15

So the prayer of my heart is that regardless of feelings, circumstances, or anything else - in moments of joy and in suffering - that our heart would overflow with gratitude and thanksgiving to God for who he is and always is and always has been. Even when our circumstances change, even when we go astray, even when things don't go as planned, He is still unchanging and worthy. 

The books on my shelf...

... or more like, the books in a stack in the corner. But you know what I mean. :) 

I just wanted to share some books that I have recently read, am in the middle of reading, or will be reading soon in the New Year that I would recommend. 

- Choosing Forgiveness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss (I read this around Thanksgiving and would highly recommend it!)

- A Love that Multiplies by the Duggars. (I know everyone has their opinion on the Duggars, but a friend recommended this one to me and so I began reading it in the car on the way to visit my family in SC for Christmas and it was honestly hard to put it down. While I may not choose to make all the same decisions that they have, I was very inspired and encouraged by their faith, love and service to others, and by their obvious desire to please God with their lives. 

- What Women Fear by Angie Smith (I am in the middle of this one now, but it is an excellent book. Fear has often been a stronghold in my life, and it is something that I want to overcome through Jesus.)

- The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson (I am also in the middle of this one, and it is excellent. Sally Clarkson is an amazing encouragement to mothers, and I love all of her books!)

- The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones (I had heard so many great things about this children's Bible for so long that I put it on James' wish-list for Christmas this year and was very happy that my Mom got it for him. It really is awesome and I would highly recommend it. I have been reading him one story each day and sometimes find myself crying while reading them. While it is very age appropriate and broken up into familiar stories from both the Old and New Testament, the stories are not fragmented and the author does an amazing job of explaining the significance of each event/story and connecting it to the bigger picture and ultimately to Jesus. It is wonderful!)

- The Help by Kathryn Stockett (I saw the movie during our Christmas travels and was so excited to find a copy at the library last week! I know I'll laugh and cry all over again and remember how much more I prefer a book to a movie. ha!)

- Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman (I added this to my kindle quite a while ago, but am looking forward to hopefully reading it soon.)

- Sacred Influence by Gary Thomas (This was highly recommended by a pastor's wife that said how much she wished she had read this book earlier in her marriage. I can't wait to read it.)

- Boundaries in Marriage by Cloud and Townsend (Another Christmas gift that I know will encourage and challenge me.)

- Colossians (Stephen and I are both reading this book right now and wanting to commit some to memory.)

- Maisy's Fire Engine and Maisy's Train by Lucy Cousins (James loves all the Maisy books and so does his Mama!)

What about you? What books are on your list to read this year?